ICE Arrests Father Outside Child’s School

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have arrested a father outside his child’s school in Trenton, Michigan, on Wednesday, the Detroit Free Press reported.

Newsweek has reached out to ICE via email for comment on Saturday afternoon.

Why It Matters

Illegal immigration and border security are cornerstones of President Donald Trump‘s agenda. He has vowed to carry out the largest mass deportation effort in U.S. history, impose tariffs and strengthen border security to limit crossings. He campaigned on the proposals, which have widespread Republican support, and many voters backing his plans for immigration reform. Most Democrats oppose his approach but agree on the need for reform.

Trump said last week that arrests along the United States’ southern border with Mexico hit a record low of just over 8,300 in February, but official data is yet to be released.

What To Know

The Detroit Free Press reported Friday that ICE agents arrested Jose Guadalupe Jaimes, a 55-year-old immigrant father, outside Arthur Middle School in Trenton on Wednesday morning. Jaimes had just dropped off his eighth-grade son, who was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, when three vehicles with flashing lights approached his work van, his family said per the newspaper. ICE agents, some with guns drawn, detained Jaimes, who now sits in St. Clair County Jail.

Jaimes, who has lived in the U.S. for 30 years and owns a painting business, has no known criminal record or cases pending in Wayne County courts, according to public records.

An ICE spokesperson told the Free Press, Jaimes had been “ordered removed by an immigration judge in 2014” and described him as an “illegal alien from Mexico.”

Meanwhile, his family asserts that Jaimes had a work permit and documentation to live in the country.

Jaimes, who owns Lupes Pro Painting, started his business after years of working for others. His family described him as a hardworking, cheerful man dedicated to providing for his loved ones.

“We just want him back home,” said his son, Hector Jaimes, a junior at Tusculum University in Tennessee, told the Free Press. Upon learning of his father’s arrest through a Facebook post, Hector drove eight hours back to Michigan. “He is always smiling. He’s a family person. He’s always trying to give us everything…that he never had while he was young.”

The arrest has since sparked criticism from community members and local officials, including Democratic state Senator Darrin Camilleri who said he was “appalled” by the incident.

The arrest outside a school also reignites a national debate over ICE’s enforcement at sensitive locations, a practice previously restricted under past administrations but expanded under Trump. In January, the president granted ICE the authority to detain migrants suspected of being in the country illegally in or near sensitive locations such as schools, hospitals, and churches.

The rollback has alarmed immigrant advocates who argue that it could deter undocumented migrants from seeking essential services, including medical care and education for their children. Schools and churches across the country have expressed their commitment to protecting immigrant communities as churches historically have served as sanctuaries for migrants seeking to avoid ICE arrests.

Meanwhile, ICE agents are reportedly preparing a new operation to detain migrant families with children, according to multiple reports.

The raids are expected to focus on tracking down adults and minor children who entered the U.S. together and have deportation orders, NBC News reported Thursday.

Another operation is also underway to track down children who entered the country unaccompanied and were released without court dates, NBC News added.

During the 2024 presidential campaign, Trump and border czar Tom Homan said initial plans for mass deportations would focus on migrants with serious criminal records.

It comes after White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed in January that the Trump administration sees all migrants without legal status as “criminals.”

What People Are Saying

Democratic Michigan state Senator Darrin Camilleri told the Detroit Free Press: “I just spoke with his family, and they are heartbroken. To make matters more infuriating, his family says he has a work permit and ID to be here. It is a moral failure that our schools, places of worship and other community spaces are being used to tear families apart and spread fear and chaos across our country.”

Jose Guadalupe Jaimes’ daughter, Anna Jaimes, told WXYZ-TV: “He’s just a hard worker. … He doesn’t deserve none of this. I think he’s always just trying to do good stuff and work hard and take care of his family.”

In response to a recent rally in southwest Detroit in support of immigrants, asking ICE not to target them, an ICE spokesman said: “While U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement respects the rights and civil liberties of all individuals, ICE, through its congressionally assigned criminal and civil immigration enforcement authorities, arrests aliens who commit crimes and have violated our nation’s immigration laws. All aliens in violation of U.S. immigration law may be subject to arrest, detention and, if found removable by final order, removal from the United States, regardless of nationality.”

What Happens Next?

Jaimes remains in ICE custody pending the outcome of his immigration proceedings and the case will now be handled by federal immigration courts.

As the Trump administration expands ICE’s scope, migrant raids are expected to gather speed and scale over the coming months.